Mudd's Journey - A Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Fanfic
by Leahyjobs200
Summary: Awoken from a trance, Mudd stumbles upon a world inhabited only by Pokémon. Voices tell him the Pokémon world needs saving, and the trainer-now-turned Pokémon struggles to live in a world parallel to himself. Meanwhile, a threat from a powerful enemy puts the Pokémon world in the balance, as he, his partner, Bulbs and Flare team up to save the Pokémon world before all hope is lost.
1. Chapter 1 - A Hero's Awakening

This is the very first fanfiction I have posted on here, so I hope all of you enjoy it. I apologise if this chapter in particular is filled with errors, as I wrote this back in September 2018 and updated it over a period of a few weeks, but I hope it doesn't detract from this part of the story itself. It gets better overtime. :) Anyway, this covers the first chapter of the fanfiction. Any feedback or reviews are greatly appreciated. :)

* * *

...Where am I? What... is... this place?

" ** _Muddddd..."_** Voices... I hear voices... Where are they coming from...?

" ** _Mudddddd... Come and fulfill your destiny... Go out and seek a partner... A friend in need... Go out and make lifelong bonds... Save the world..."_**

What... Save the world? A partner? What are... these voices... telling me?

" ** _Save the world... Save the world..."_**

There's that statement again... What... Does it mean? What does it... represent? So many questions, and yet little to no answers.

...Huh? What? My... my body shape... it's becoming... distorted! H-how?! I don't understand! It's becoming... it's becoming... Gwahhhh!

I look at myself in a distorted pile of water, my body shape changing... Becoming smaller... And smaller...

Wait... n-no way... I'm becoming... I'm becoming... a Pokémon?!

* * *

 **Mudd's Journey: Part One**

* * *

"...Huh...?"

I opened my eyes to see a vast sky above me - small white clouds passing over an ever-expanding blue - and I look up seeing birds flying over. Or... at least I think they're birds? Either way... there's... something up there...

I sat up and looked around from where I was sitting. There were small trees around me and a rather small but wide pond near me. And in the distance... were some mountains.

"A mountain range? What in the world...?" I questioned to myself as I looked around in this new place I've never seen before.

I looked up. Again, that wide, vast blue sky stared back at me... begging me for some sort of... adventure?

"...Wait... That's right..." I remembered the voices I heard. Was that a... dream...?

I got up but stumbled. "Whooooaaaaaahhhhhh!" I fell over and rolled down to the pond where I saw my reflection. And there... staring right back at me...

"...That's... i-i-impossible... I really am a Pokémon?!" My voice shouted as it echoed throughout the clearing I was in. "How did... I get here?" I felt myself repeating that statement again and again in my head but it didn't even make any sense to me. When did I get here? Why was I summoned here? What is it about a... partner?

"I don't understand..." I sighed and looked at my reflection. Staring back at me was the reflection of a... Froakie.

* * *

I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Mudd. I was a human that lived in the human world before I got summoned... to where I am now. I remember my past, which makes me... different to those who previously came here before me. At least that's what I think... Which I'm getting the impression of at least. I lived in what could be described as any other normal place, in a loving family and had loving friends. I enjoyed living in my world, but one day... something just changed. But it isn't a thing I'd like to talk about... Maybe in the future I'll reveal it but it'll be all in due time...

As for me, I still don't understand how on earth I managed to be summoned here. Or how I became... a Froakie?

"A Froakie?" I looked and tilted my head to the side. Why am I a Froakie? How did this happen? Yet again, so many questions... but little to no answers at all.

I looked behind me and I saw what looked like a town in the distance. "Maybe I could get help there? There... Wait, there could be humans!" I said to myself really excited. "But I guess I have to get used to this new form of mine!"

And so off I went, going over and traversing to the town in the distance but ahead of me was something I didn't know... Up ahead was a Mystery Dungeon.

* * *

"This place... What is this place?" I spoke to myself trying to make sense of the newly-found form I happened to be in and the new world I seemed to stumble upon.

I began recollecting the events that happened before I transformed into... a Froakie.

First of all, those voices. I kept on thinking to myself repeatedly but the event still didn't sink in. I felt really uncomfortable, not knowing where I was, where my friends and family were, or how I managed to find myself in this place. But those voices... They sounded like hopes... cries for help... but what I don't get is why me? Why am I significant?

I sighed, as questions were not going to get me anywhere as I had too little information to digest on how I found myself here.

Second of all, I'm now a Pokémon. How did I become a Froakie? When? Why? Back in my world, I remember going on an adventure with my Froakie as my starter and together we both travelled the world, defeating trainers and winning gym battles. But now... I've become one myself, and there's no sight of my starter anywhere.

Then there was this thing about a partner and "adventure" or whatever that meaned, and "save the world"... I don't know what that meant, and as far as I can see, everything's peaceful... So why...?

"HEEELLLLLPPPPPP!"

Out of nowhere, I heard a sudden cry for help. "Huh?! What?!" I gasped and looked around in panic trying to find out where the cry came from.

"HEEELLLLLPPPPPP!" The cry went again.

I looked forward, and up ahead was... A forest?

"Since when was there a forest?" I thought but the layout looked weird... Sort of like a dungeon... shrouded in... mystery...

I shook my head and concentrated on the task at hand. "Don't worry!" I shouted, "I'll save you!"

Without hesitation, I ran into the forest, not knowing of the dangers that lurked within. This would be the first time I would encounter a Mystery Dungeon, a terrifying foe, and a friend who I wouldn't expect that I would cherish forever... A true... partner...

* * *

"...What is... this place...?" I questioned to myself and I immediately knew that the cry for help lurked somewhere in the mounts of the surpassing trees as they loomed over the landscape and more specifically... myself.

There was a strewn and cobbled pathway that led through this maze of giants, and unbeknownst to me, there was danger further on. I was confident I was going to find this person in trouble. At least... it is a person... right?

"I don't know anymore..." I sighed as I continued onwards.

"...Don't know anymore? Are we losssssssttttt perhapssssssss?" A voice boomed behind me out of the blue. But now... why am I getting chills running down my spine?

"W-w-who s-said that?" I slowly turned around and there stood... a great big purple snake-like creature, with a terrifying pattern carved over its torso. It stood there, strewing away any courage I might have had, as it looked like another one of those giant trees but this time living and breathing in front of me.

"That would be me. Niccccceeee to meet you," the strange creature spoke chillingly and menacingly. This... Pokémon... I'm convinced this is a Pokémon but from the looks of it, I think... I take back what I said about this trip being safe. This is clearly an enemy.

"You s-s-poke?! ...Who are... you?" I asked, but with clarity, slowly starting to seep back my courage.

"Who am I? WHO am I? Yessssss... You'd make a good lunch foorrrrssss ssswwweeettt Arbok..." the creature said, opening its mouth and showing its fangs, clearly me being the receiving end of its prey.

"Arbok...?" I thought out loud, and Arbok menacingly cackled.

"Ha, pitiful, lookssssss how the wuss treatsssss the leader of Team Crussssherrrsssss!" He boasted, towering above me. I gulped. The adrenalin in my body kicked in - the "fight or flight" response being received in my brain, and it chose the latter. Maybe... I better...

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I ran as fast as I could. Not just for my life, but also for the person in need. Whoever this was, they were a force to be reckoned with.

"Where'sssss do you think you'resssss going? Gasssstro Acid!" he boomed and some sort of poisonous gunk unleashed from his mouth towards me. I dodged.

 _"W-what? I'm being attacked? What do I... what do I...? What-"_ I thought, but then...

"Water Pulse!" I bellowed and a beam of water shot from me straight at Arbok. "W-w-what did I just..." I thought, but only for a short time.

"GRAH! You inssssolent peassssant!" He remarked angrily as I made my getaway.

I continued running... and up ahead I found some sort of clearing.

"Huh?" I said and there...

"HELP!" The familiar voice shouted, and there, was a poor looking dinosaur like plant thing along with what I assumed to be one of Team Crushers' comrades. These guys were evil, no doubt about it.

"Huh huh huh, looks like you're at a loss this time Bulbasaur! You're not going to be able to get away from your inevitable fate!" said the cackling Pokémon, taking the form of a large pig with a large evil smirk on his face.

"G-g-get away from me Grumpig! I didn't d-d-do any-anything!" the Bulbasaur trembled, the poor thing looking absolutely terrified. When I saw this, I couldn't help but sympathise for him.

"Get away? Huh huh huh, you'd be easily mistaken if I let you do a thing like that. Arbok and me have unfinished business with you, and don't you 'I didn't do anything!' me because I know you're lying. Give us what we want, or we'll be happily taking your dream away from you!" Grumpig boomed and cackled, a evil smile being produced on his face.

I couldn't let Bulbasaur take any more of this. "Hey, leave him alone Glumpig!" I shouted, deliberately saying his name wrong to irritate him.

"Hah, who's this pest? Another insignificant swine? Well then, I'll be happily be getting rid of you too then! Just a simple Psybeam to the face, and you're down unconscious. And just for the record, NO ONE calls me Glumpig," the enemy profoundly stated, evil vibes being produced in the area.

"W-w-who are y-you...?" Bulbasaur asked, but I put one of my new Pokémon legs up to him.

"Now's not the time. Stay out of the way," I said protectively. Just then, Arbok arrived on the scene.

"There youuussss are you peassssnt! How DARE you attack me like that!" Arbok bellowed, trying to show his authority. I wasn't going to let these two troublemakers bully this poor soul.

"How dare you try and attack this innocent Pokémon! If you're not going to get out of here now, I'm not afraid to attack either of you!" I confidently retaliated back with words.

"Hehehehehe! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU?! Asking for a fight? You never should have said that!" Grumpig danced, trying to intimidate me. Sure, at first they got the upper hand, but with what I've seen... this team of theirs is one made only for trouble.

"Bring it!" I shouted.

"Psybeam!"

"Gastro Acid!"

Both Pokémon lunged their attacks towards me, but I dodged out of the way.

"Water Pulse!"

I shot by beam of water towards Arbok, hitting him and making him angrier.

"GRRRR! Get him you fooool!"

"Psyshock!"

Grumpig shot beams of rock towards me and I protected myself using a nearby bush as cover.

"Bubble!" Another new... attack? Why does this sound so... familiar?

 *** Flashback ***

"You ready Froakie?"

My buddy nodded, showing confidence on what he was doing.

"Use Bubble!"

The blue frog Pokémon tried his best, but try as he might, there was no succession.

"Come on buddy, I know you can do this! We can't beat him unless we put in the best effort we can! I believe in you bud!"

I gave confidence to him, showing how I fully believed in him as he was my partner, my buddy... and my friend.

Froakie looked at me a bit sad at first but nodded at what he needed to do.

"Now then, again, use Bubble!" I shouted.

This time, with enough confidence and motivation, Froakie did it and hit the target I put out for him.

"Yes! Well done!" I cheered. He cheered too, and I showed him his necessary affection.

 *** End Of Flashback ***

"That's right..." I remembered. "Froakie..."

The grunt of Grumpig being hit shot be back to reality but both weren't ready to give up.

"Gwahhhh!"

"Grrrr, you IMBECCCCILE! We do our atttacccckkkssssssss together! You hearrrsssss me?" Arbok grunted with anger, as Grumpig slouched over to his side, almost like he was his right-hand man. Bulbasaur stood to the side, still trembling with fear. Don't worry Bulbasaur, I'm doing this to protect you.

"Okay boss!" Grumpig replied.

"Now!"

"Sludge Bomb!"

"Psybeam!"

The pair of thugs launched their attacks at me and, having none of this, I jumped up in the air.

"Water Pulse!" I shouted and I took aim at them both, hitting them square clean in the faces.

"Gahhh!"

"Grrr!"

"You might have won this time frog, but we're keeping our eyes on you!"

"Thisssss isn't the last time we meet Froakie, keep your eyessss peeled!"

Team Crushers angrily moved off and pursued back out of the forest.

"Phew..." I sighed with relief. "You're safe now, Bulbasaur."

"T-thank you," he said, running up to me and giving me a big hug.

"W-w-what are you...?" I started but before I know it, I got put into a gigantic bear hug by a very gleaming Bulbasaur.

"Thank you!" He said, gaining his confidence again. "My name is Bulbasaur, as you probably already guessed. I live in the town up ahead, Cherish Town. What's your name?"

He suddenly became energetic. "U-u-um... My name's not Froakie by the way, it's Mudd."

"Mudd? Very nice to meet you buddy!" He gleamed. "Come on, I'll show you the way to town!"

"W-w-wait!" I shouted, but I was already being dragged out of the forest, towards the town called Cherish Town, and await the adventures that were awaiting for me beyond... This... was my adventure. This... was my journey... To have found Bulbasaur... And save the Pokémon world...

(To be continued in Part 2...)


	2. Chapter 2 - Cherish Town & A New Team

"T-thank you!"

...Those words resonated with me as I continued walking, thinking to myself about my sudden new found strength. How did I get it? Was it through sheer determination? That reminiscence of the past? Or was it... something more? I didn't know but I wanted to focus on the overall picture.

I recalled what happened up until now. I woke up, after hearing voices about me saving the world, looking around me seeing a distant mountain range with a vast landscape that could be seen as far as the eye could see. There was my reaction to me now being... a Froakie... the same exact Pokémon I had as my starter... and that cry for help from Bulbasaur...

Then there was that weird forest... There wasn't too much to it other than those troublemakers, Arbok and Grumpig, or Team Crushers, and that so called "thing" that Bulbasaur had or a "dream"... but what was that dream? And why did that forest seem so out of place?

I was feeling a mixture of bravery, confusion and sadness as everything that transpired until now wasn't giving me any answers. I sighed loudly as Bulbasaur was humming along to himself as we made our way to his supposed hometown, Cherish Town. A name I find ironic since I had the feeling that the word "cherish" would apply to me in another way...

Bulbasaur caught on to my loud, exasperated sigh and stopped walking to show some concern.

"H-hey... are you alright Mudd?" he asked me, a genuine worried look on his face.

I hadn't noticed he was looking at me until he shook me, blasting me out of my thoughts and back into the real world.

"H-huh? Oh..." I gave a nervous laugh, "hehe, yeah, I'm fine, w-what are you talking about?" I tried to pretend I was alright, but the nervous-now-turned-concerned Bulbasaur thought differently.

"Mudd... you don't need to pretend you're okay, I know you're lying just so I can feel better," he answered back, shaking his head with sadness, "I'm here for you if you need me you know."

"Thanks..." I said, "but haven't we only just met in the forest? I hardly really know anything about you, let alone why I'm in this world."

"Yeah, I guess... wait... This world...?" he asked, turning to me with confusion.

"Yeah, about that..." I began.

" _I guess I better tell him about what I really am..._ " I thought to myself.

* * *

 **Mudd's Journey: Part 2**

* * *

"...W-WHAAAATTTTT?!" Bulbasaur loudly shouted, nearly falling over in surprise. "You-you're a... you're a..."

"...Human." I finished for him, "...and I thought you m-might react that way..."

"B-but..." he stuttered, "that's impossible, there's no way you c-could be a human..."

"It's true..." I answered, "I'm not from this world, and I have no idea how on earth I even got here. Something about some voices in a dream going on about the world being saved and how I will meet a true partner..."

"W-world being saved? A t-true partner?" Bulbasaur said and then proceeded to look like on going on a full on brainstorm about everything I just explained to him. Around five or so minutes later, Bulbasaur came on back up to me and gave me another hug.

"W-what? Why are you... hugging me?" I stood with widened eyeballs, confused by his action, but he smiled.

"I think me and you... have got quite a lot in common. I assume you have nowhere to go after all this, right?" he replied, this time with more confidence.

Then the realisation hit me. Where was I going to stay? I had no home here in this new world, only a home back in my own world, where my... my family...

"Guys..." I began to shake. Now I understood why he was hugging me... He wanted to give me additional support as he knew that I had nowhere to go to. But I began to wonder...

"H-how did you know that I...?" I asked, but he smirked.

"It's alright, I know how you feel," he said, but then frowned, "I've been in the position of you before."

"Y-you have?"

"Yeah, but... I'll tell you later."

"O-okay..." I said as Bulbasaur let go of me. I took a deep breath. "Now's what this about a dream of yours?"

"Oh, um..." he blushed with embarrassment, "I forgot about that. See, after you saving me, I got inspired by you. And I know this is selfish and all but... I wanted to know if you would help me form a rescue team."

"A rescue team?" I questioned. "Wait, don't tell me you want to form a team like..."

"N-nothing like that!" Bulbasaur quickly interjected, "This is nothing to do with Team Crushers. They're a bunch of meanies who only care about ruining the chances of other rescue teams' rescues and causing havoc wherever they go. They've always picked on me as I'm one of their main targets. With you rescuing me, that'll make you on their 'bully' list as well."

I gulped. " _Uh oh... I've really gone and done it this time..._ " I thought.

"But they don't matter to me. As I have a dream and a hope. I hope to help the other Pokémon around here who need my help and I can save others as I've wanted to do it since I was a younger kid. With you saving me..." he gave me puppy eyes, "will you help me fulfill my dream?"

I stood, frozen in shock. I didn't even know what to reply to him. "I-I think I..." I began. That's when I started to take in what he was telling me. As a human, I recall I had to pay a lot of attention to what I was being told so I could become a better trainer. Which reminds me... Although I battled a lot of trainers, why didn't I recognise Bulbasaur, Arbok or Grumpig? It's weird... One minute I know the Pokémon I battled, the next I forget. I don't understand... Maybe I was too lost in thought? Or...

"M-Mudd?" Bulbasaur looked at me, still waiting for an answer.

Right... Rather than focusing on a brief development of amnesia, I need to give Bulbasaur an answer. I looked at him to face his shivering body and suddenly, the words that formed just... spoke from the heart without me thinking...

"Yes, of course I will."

"You... You... Y-y-you..." he became teary-eyed and hugged me. "You and me will m-make a great team!" He shouted in glee, smiling vividly.

I smiled, surprised by what I said, but being happy all the same. Bulbasaur currently is the only thing I have in this world, and seemingly is the only one willing to support me so far. It seems only right I go with him.

"Of course buddy."

"B-buddy? You first said you hardly knew me and now you consider m-me as a f-f-friend?" he stood shaking, still grasping on me.

"Bulbasaur... You made me open my eyes about a few things, and I respect you for it." I smiled, "besides, aren't we making our way to Cherish Town? We're going there for a reason, like you previously mentioned on the way."

"R-right... Well then, l-let's go!" he exclaimed happily, letting go of me and leading the way to the next chapter in my journey.

Now with getting to meet Bulbasaur, I'm going to be able to see what this town is like for myself, and a safe heaven from those meanies. Let's see what this part of my supposed journey has for me now...

* * *

The town approached as me and Bulbasaur walked to the entrance, and from the looks of it, it felt and seemed like a Pokémon metropolis, with many different Pokémon interacting with each other in their daily lives.

"Mudd, welcome to my home, Cherish Town!" Bulbasaur proclaimed cheerfully, jumping up and down in excitement, "there's a lot here to see and do, and oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, I can't wait to show you the guild! That's where we can get to become a rescue team!"

"Cherish Town, huh..." I said quietly, taking in this new place to myself. Houses were similar to how in the human world they were built, but also had natural parts of the world such as leaves and wood to make from the looks of it... furniture?

"This sure is... quite the place alright. Hehe, wow, I'm at a loss for words. I never expected Pokémon to build this kind of place," I chuckled while smiling, looking up at the sky.

"How else do you think we live then?" Bulbasaur laughed, "but anyway, look up at that building there! That's the guild!"

A large building stood in the centre of the town, with the face of a Pokémon looking upon the mouth of the entrance, standing above it to emphasise its presence in the town.

"Wow! So that's the guild? Who runs it?" I asked Bulbasaur.

"You mean you don't know their leader?! He's one of only one of the most greatest explorers to have ever lived! He's Master Magcargo! You seriously haven't heard of-?"

"Bulbasaur, have you already forgotten I'm a human?" I stated bluntly.

"Oh, right..." He said and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that Mudd. Anyway, he's a really wise leader and has gone on to conquer a whole bunch of adventures! Even when he's at a disadvantage, and his 4 times weakness to your typing, he somehow manages to come out on top. I wish I were like him."

"Magcargo..." I said, thinking out loud.

" _I wonder if he knows why I turned into a Pokémon and these weird 'voices' telling me to save the world are..._ " I thought, this time without deliberately trying to speak out loud, a tendency of mine to do so.

Magcargo's face was greeting as his statuesque face stood upon the Explorers Guild - I assumed it was its name - as me and Bulbasaur entered inside.

"...Bulbasaur eh? What on earth are you doing here again?" A gruff voice could be heard as we made it through the entrance. "I thought you already had enough of trying to join us repeatedly several times. You're certainly resilient, I'll give you that."

"Oh come on Mr Ursaring! I'm really, really wanting to form a rescue team!" Bulbasaur energetically iterated, wanting his voice to be heard. I can definitely tell this was his dream alright. "You know how much I want to form one!"

"Yes, yes, I know that, but Bulbasaur, you have to realise that you cannot just form one alone. It requires at least two Pokémon to be in one-" Ursaring said but cut himself off as he noticed me looking right back at him.

"Oh! Excuse me! Where are my manners? Hello there. You look new around these parts. Can't say I've ever seen a Froakie before." He smiled, wanting to give me a warm introduction. This was sudden, first annoyed and stern, now welcoming and smiling at me. This version of the Pokémon world really is too baffling for me to comprehend.

"Uh... hello." I began. "I take it you're Mr Ursaring, right?"

"Ursaring is fine by me sonny," he chuckled, "no need to panic, I'm not hostile. Say, now that I mention it, who is this Froakie?" He turned to face Bulbasaur.

"Oh, his name is Mudd, and I found him when he saved me from Team Crushers in the nearby forest. Those meanies... Always wanting to pick on me..." He sighed.

"Mudd eh? Just as well he saved you." He looked stern again. "That was incredibly reckless of you Bulbasaur! You do realise that the forest is a Mystery Dungeon?! And you do realise not to go anywhere near those fiends?!"

Mystery Dungeon? What in the world is that? Why were Bulbasaur and Team Crushers together? I was very confused about the whole scenario I was in. Bulbasaur flinched and sighed again.

"Yes, Mr Ursaring..." his face droopy with sadness and pain.

"Good." He sighed, but smiled. "I'm glad you're safe though. But why are you here?"

'Oh... Well..." He began, but suddenly bursted out, "me and Mudd want to form a rescue team together! When Mudd rescued me from Team Crushers I talked with him about my dream and he agreed to it, didn't you?" he turned to me and I nodded. "You know how much this means to me to help other Pokémon and since there's now two of us, I can officially form one! Please? Can we, can we, can we?"

Ursaring rolled his eyes and sighed. "You always have been trouble Bulbasaur." He laughed loudly though as he said this. "...Very well, go on and see the Guildmaster, Magcargo. He'll be in his room."

"All right!' he jumped and cheered, "come on Mudd, let's go!"

"Oh, u-um, okay..." I said as I traipsed behind him, Bulbasaur hurrying along in front of me, Ursaring chuckling as he stood back at the entrance.

Bulbasaur led the way and stood in front of a large wooden door. He knocked on it quickly, overjoyed at finally achieving the beginning of his dream.

"Ohhohohoho! Do come in!" a voice beamed with profession but interested delight.

"Should I open the door?" I asked, and Bulbasaur nodded.

Opening the door, me and my buddy looked around, intrigued in looking at the large open interior of the place. I was amazed at the sheer size of the place.

"This is incredible!" I exclaimed.

"Haha, as I'm the leader here, my Cherish Town Hope Explorers Guild aims to please!" a somewhat elderly voice came from the far corner in the room and there stood the same Pokémon as the statue from outside - Magcargo.

"Master Magcargo! Oh my goodness!" Bulbasaur squealed, "it's such a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hohoho, the pleasure is all mine! Nice to meet two aspiring Pokémon! Come to want to join the guild?"

"Yes!" My partner jumped up and down in delight and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, quite an enthusiastic one you are. And oh?" Magcargo turned his attention towards myself. "Hmmmm..." A questioned look on his face came as he observed around me.

"Oh, um, sorry, nice to meet you Magcargo. I'm Mudd." I tried to politely say.

"Nice meeting you Mudd. Very strange to see a Froakie around these parts, I don't normally see any other starters around here other than Bulbasaur. Very... very intriguing. Where did you come from?" He asked me. This shocked me as I didn't know what to say. Here I am, suddenly meeting the leader of the guild, and I've only told Bulbasaur my true origins. I looked at Bulbasaur with a nervous look to try and not get any attention from Magcargo, even though he was encircling me.

He seemed to get the message. "Oh, w-well he's from far away... and he got lost, so I-I decided to volunteer for him to stay with me." He smiled as a way of reassuring any signs of guilt.

Magcargo looked shocked. "Hohoho, my boy, that's an explorer attribute alright!" He cheered, and turned to face me. My face somewhat drooped a bit, both from self-doubt and embarrassment. Both didn't seem to notice.

"I also saved him from Team Crushers in the forest when they were attacking him." I stated, sighing but then pulling a small smile.

"You what?! Goodness me, I thought those two troublemakers were far away enough from here by now. I'm glad you two are safe, but I never expected a Froakie to take on two prominent foes. That is an achievement!" He gleamed happily as he turned to the pair of us. "For that reason, and standing in the face of courage, I grant you two a place in the guild! Your room will be two floors below, next to the other team members bedrooms, so I hope you take it easy from here on out. Here are your official Expedition Guild badges and equipment!" Magcargo cheered and nodded his head to our brand new belongings.

"Wait, we... Oh m-my goodness!" Bulbasaur shot up happily and became teary-eyed again. "We did it Mudd, we were accepted by the Guild!"

I stood there dumbfounded, but then a bright smile encompassed my face. "Nice work Bulbasaur! I'm glad for you!"

"It wasn't just me you know!" We both laughed together, and Magcargo joined in.

"Haha, the joys of youth! Even though you two both seem to be children, I can't help but remind myself of those younger years of mine. Now then, what should be your team name?" Magcargo asked.

"Team name?" I asked.

"Of course, all rescue teams have a team name! Why don't you think of one?"

"Oh, um..." My mind went blank. "Any ideas buddy?"

Bulbasaur chuckled. "Hmm... Well, given I find myself to want to be a hero, and you helped me out, how about we call ourselves Team Hero Helpers?"

Team Hero Helpers. There was the name that would define the both of us as we saved other Pokémon as a rescue team - the human-turned-Pokémon and an extremely excited starter.

"...You know what, I like it! Mr Magcargo, can we name ourselves Team Hero Helpers?" I asked, with hope and gleam in my eyes, inspired by Bulbasaur.

"Hohoho, of course! From now on, you two will be Team Hero Helpers!"

"All right! Mudd, we did it!" Bulbasaur cheered. "This is only just..."

"The beginning..." I joined in.

"...OF OUR JOURNEY!" We shouted in unison.

On this day, Team Hero Helpers was formed, and the beginning of our rescue team's adventure of a lifetime. Who knows what the future will bring... I was about to find out, but first, me and Bulbasaur settled into our new home...

(To be continued in Part 3...)


	3. Chapter 3 - Settling In

**Mudd's Journey - Part Three**

* * *

It was evening when me and Bulbasaur made our way into our designated room in Magcargo's Explorer Guild, and my first day in the Pokémon world was drawing to a close. I processed through the day's events in my mind. The world's fate... meeting Bulbasaur... the forest... Team Crushers... Cherish Town and its guild... and now me and Bulbasaur have officially founded an exploration team, Team Hero Helpers.

"Augh, too much to think about..." I strained, rubbing my head as it was experiencing a headache. "How are you doing bud?"

Bulbasaur, as I expected, was gleaming with joy. He was jumping up and down like a giddy child wanting some sweets, and was taking in the place for what it was. "I'm doing great! First, I meet you, then form an exploration team, now I'm in the world famous Cherish Town Explorer Guild and it's just so... so... so..." He tried to think of the correct word to say but it wasn't coming out of his mouth.

"Let me guess, fantastic?" I tried to complete for him, and I chuckled.

"Y-yeah, that!" Bulbasaur pointed in agreement at me and made a smirk on his face.

"Thought so," I smiled but it quickly faded away as I rubbed my head. I still wasn't believing it. Why was I here? How did I get here? Was this my apparent fate I had to muster? I hadn't the foggiest clue, and it was making my brain hurt. "Ow, this stupid brain of mine!" I bellowed, making Bulbasaur jump in shock, "I don't understand why I'm here!"

Bulbasaur looked at me and shook his head. "Mudd, you're just going to cause yourself more pain if you keep overthinking it. It's best if you get some rest, that'll hopefully get your brain working by tomorrow."

I sighed, I guess he's right. However, there was something that was bothering me. "Bulbasaur, how did you meet Ursaring? He seemed to know you the moment we walked in through the doors here. I'm confused as to what transpired between you two."

What I didn't expect was that Bulbasaur gave a sigh. "Oh, that was what was on your mind?" he said, and shook his head, a bit of loss and sorrow in his eyes. "It's a bit of a complicated story. He was essentially my guardian when I grew up as a baby, as I never knew my family. I was born into this world, but I didn't know why. As I've grown up, Ursaring took me in as if I were his own child and we would play together a lot. It would last hours upon hours, and we played tag, raced around the town, picked berries in the nearby forest and farmland not far from here, played games... I think you get the idea. As I grew older though..." he gulped and shuddered, "he became more and more distant to me, or at least s-so I felt..."

"W-what h-happened then?" I hesitantly asked him.

"W-well, one day, as I was walking home from playing with some of the local townsfolk, I saw that Ursaring was talking to the head of the guild, and my idol, Guild Master Magcargo. He was having a conversation with him about something, but at the time I didn't know what that would be. I felt nothing at the time, as I thought the two of them talking together was amazing, and I wanted to know what they were talking about. As I went in, the house was empty of course, but there seemed to be a different... feeling towards it. I looked around, and I saw a note on my bed, the wind blowing eerily outside, which s-still creeps me out to this day."

"I s-see." I took this in, but with everything else going on, I shook my head to try and put the other things to one side, as Bulbasaur told me his story. I had a bad feeling as to what was written on the note. _"What did that note say...?"_ I hesitantly thought and looked at Bulbasaur square in the eyes. He looked like he was choking up in fear and pain.

"W-well, it said the following..."

 _Dear Bulbasaur,_

 _I took you in when you were only a baby, having couldn't pain the guilt if I left you behind on that fateful day. You've grown up to be the best child I could have ever asked for, even if our blood wasn't related and you've stuck by that admirable dream of yours. Ever since you were younger, I wanted you to feel safe; to nurture you; to look after somebody as I was a old fool who just lived alone. I care for you a lot Bulbasaur, I really do, but... recently things have turned for the worse. I have tried to look after the home as best as I could, but as I'm growing older, caring for both the house and you has taken its toll on me. I've been thinking a lot about it and have made up my mind - this house is now entrusted to you. You may see me talk to Guild Master Magcargo, as I plan on moving out. He's offering me a job there, and I can't simultaneously look after you, the house and do this job, so that why I'm making the difficult decision to let this house be in your keeping from now on. You've shown to be courageous even in the most dire of situations, but please, just look after yourself. You need to make sure to protect yourself and the house, okay? I'm putting my trust in you, my boy. Bulbasaur, please take care of yourself. I'm going to be in the guild if you want to see me from now on, but until then, I've left this place in your hands. I'm sorry about this, so I've left enough supplies for you so you can look after the place. Take care my boy._

 _-Your Guardian_

 _Ursaring_

Bulbasaur was now visibly crying, and I could perfectly tell. Ursaring was struggling to look after Bulbasaur, so he was took in by the Guildmaster to be looked after. Now, both had been reunited, and although it looked like both had met each other regularly, the abrupt nature of the note brought Bulbasaur some bad memories. Now, having explained what happened, he couldn't bear the guilt of being alone.

"After I read the note, I began to question why. Why did he hide this information from me? Why did he have to just go and up and leave like that? I cried, the prospect of being alone being in my mind, and I didn't know what to do. The house became neglected, and I stood there, trying to figure out what to do. After a while, I began living in that house, and sorted everything out by myself from Ursaring's supplies and getting food and water from the local market in the northern part of town. The neglect I brought on the house got resolved pretty quickly, thankfully, and now it's still owned by me, but I now live here, with you. I don't know what to do with the house there, so maybe we can go there tomorrow." Bulbasaur wiped his tears away and gave a faint smile.

I was shocked, sad and sympathetic towards Bulbasaur, as I didn't know he had been through all of that when he was younger, to that one sudden day. However, this brought me to another question. "Why were you in that forest then Bulbasaur?"

"Oh, t-that?" he stuttered, "I was looking for food to get back in the house, why do you ask?"

This seemed like a half truth to me. I get why he was looking for food, but there were some other supplies scattered around Bulbasaur when I protected him from Arbok and Grumpig. "If that's the case, what were those things near your feet when I protected you?" He sighed, as I seemed to look straight through him. "You got me..." he conceded, and sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wanted to join the guild, and I had those supplies on me as I thought those could get me an entry into this place, bypassing the two-Pokémon rule. But alas, I was wrong, so I went searching in the forest, not just for some food, but also so I could prove myself I was capable of getting in. I was looking, in other words, for a friend. However, when I was searching, I got suddenly attacked from behind and ambushed by those two meanies. They mocked me, saying how I was never able to get to my dream, and they started attacking me out of spite. I called for help several times, but no one came... That was, until you saved me. That's why I thought when that happened, it was fate - perhaps even destiny. Right now, Mudd..." he paused, and smiled, "...I'm just happy to be here with you right now."

"You and me both," I retorted as I smiled back at him. "I'm sorry about your past, sounded like that day was really rough for you."

"Heh, yeah... you could say that again," he chuckled quietly and then looked out of the window. "Cherish Town looks so beautiful at night. All the lights fascinate me, and then there's the wider world. I wonder what's out there, beyond this town, beyond the trees, mountains, deserts, seas..."

"I wonder too," I said as I joined right next to him, "it's a wide world out there, that's for sure. I wouldn't miss looking at it for the world haha, hence why the pair of us formed an exploration team, right?" I laughed.

He looked at me and smiled. "Yeah, you're right." Bulbasaur yawned loudly and scratched his head with one of his bulbs. "I think I'm going to hit the hay right now, goodnight buddy." He laid down on the hay used as a bed, and went to sleep, happily snoring in content as he made himself his first best friend.

I looked out the window, and he was right. The town looked beautiful, reminding me of the time I first saw this place, it looked like a metropolis, and I stuck by that thought. Lights gleamed and danced in the night sky, a dazzling display of awe right before my eyes. Stars shone brightly and reflected in the moon's view, a harmonious side of nature beholding the environment. I scratched my head with my paw, reminding myself of when I was an aspiring Pokémon Trainer, with my pal Froakie, traversing the land as far as the eye could see. We won gyms, participated in the leagues, and tried our very hardest together by our sides. I sighed, and looked out into the night sky. How was my team doing back home? Were they even missing me? I shook my head, answers not going to come to me unless I knew them for myself. As a Pokémon trainer, it was my job to look after my Pokémon, but...

"Mudd! Where are you?"

 **"Mudd! Come home!"**

"Mudd, are you safe? Please... tell me you are!"

Memories of my past came flooding back, and it made me sigh deeply. People wondering where I was, how I was doing, if I was going to come back to my hometown, and the like. Here now in the present, I got called into a new world, voices calling me to be a hero, and saving the world...

The scenery though looked so tranquil, it didn't even look like it was suffering. Was this world really in danger? Was it really needing to be saved? I yawned, too tired to think any more and I lay back on my bed to rest and sleep. "Night Bulbasaur..." I muttered quietly and fell asleep, dreaming away, before I got pulled into a different reality... the dream world.

* * *

Silence. There was not a sound to be heard as I entered my sleepy cognitive state, my eyes glued shut as I rest with my own self conscience. However, as I lay back, my spirit seemed to be moving, shifting realities almost, and came into a space filled only with darkness.

I open my eyes, clouded with the void that seemed to ever expand as I looked around. There was nothing, except the chills sending a shiver down my spine, as I made my way forward.

"What is this place...?" I found myself talking out loud, not realising it, but I had a feeling something wasn't quite right. The place looked as desolate as a desert, stranded upon my own two steps as I wandered through this seeming abyss. How did I end up here? It was the only question my brain was telling me, but there wasn't anyone in sight. Not Bulbasaur, not Magcargo, not even Ursaring and the other townsfolk from Cherish Town.

As I began to think about what this potential place was, I heard the sound of low, cynical laughter, and it was coming from up ahead.

"W-w-what?" I began, "who goes there? Show yourself!" Yet much to my demise, there was no reply.

With every wandering step I took forward, an increasing feeling of unease swept through me, and I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. I wasn't alone.

When I came to a stop, the laughter became more apparent and louder. It was the sound of a child.

"C...o...m..."

The speech was still inaudible to hear properly, but I heard the sound of a few letters. It wasn't going to get me anywhere, so I kept on moving forward. It was until then that when I kept on going forward, I heard running.

"Come on bud, let's go!"

The voice was now pitch perfect and before I knew it, the space became engulfed in light and I lifted my two front paws still as a Froakie to avoid being blinded.

When I looked up again, I stopped and stood agape, looking now at the clear scene before me.

A young boy was running towards a house, with his own partner Pokémon by his side, and they were going to the front door. The boy had short, but rather streamlined, smooth brown hair, and had a face with pure determination. He had brown eyes, wore glasses, and was wearing a Pokémon-trainer attire complete with cap, bag, trainers, shorts and t-shirt with his partner Pokémon on it. He was smiling and jumping up and down with glee, and his partner was equally enjoying himself.

"That was another great battle today, but I want to tell Mum how well I did," the young boy smirked, pushing his glasses up in place and adjusting his cap.

His partner smiled in content too, but as I watched from the distance, this scene was becoming all the more familiar to me.

"That's... me." I shook in horror, knowing what was going to happen, and looked away.

The scene was depicting a young me as a human, and my partner Froakie being at my side. We had just won a battle against the Pewter City gym leader, Brock, and I celebrated getting my first ever gym badge, wanting to tell my Mum before heading off around the region. I knew what was coming though, so I let the scene before me unfold.

"Mum, I won! I won my first ever gym badge!" The human Mudd chimed, bursting through the door as if it were ripping off some wallpaper. Froakie followed behind him, running up to him and jumping on to his shoulder. He had a large smile on his face.

My mum came in, smiling. "Hm? Oh Mudd! That's my boy. Well done honey, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks! I wanted to come over and say I was going to go around Kanto to get other gym badges, but..." The human Mudd stopped and stared directly at Mum, who began to cough and splutter. "M-mum?! A-a-are you okay? It's not the sickness, is it?"

"Oh n-no honey, don't worry." She was always the reassuring type, but human me wasn't buying it. Her sickness was worsening every day, and it made her get frequent nose bleeds.

"Mum... don't say that, you always say you're going to be okay and how I should never worry, but your sickness is... is..." The smile which once burned his face turned into a sorrowful look clouded with worry.

"Heh, you two... you know I've always been proud of you Mudd. You've had the courage to stand up for yourself before at school and now on your own journey... sweet pea, you've grown up so much and it's what makes you special." Mum gave a weak smile through those words before returning to coughing and spluttering, stumbling over and leaning onto the couch.

"Mum!"

"Mudd, come here." The human me obeyed, and came in to look at my mum, whose nose was now bleeding from her sickness. She looked at me, and wrapped a hand across my face.

"You're my son, Froakie's your partner and that's all I could ever ask for. You two have already been through so much, and since you now have your first gym badge, you're ready to take on the wider world. Don't worry about me, you should be worrying about yourself," she uttered with a warm smile, the aroma of her perfume making it distinctly my mother.

"Mum... please, stop. We should be seeing a doctor and getting some medicine for yo-"

"Mudd. We've already been through this. The doctor has already diagnosed me with this sickness, and there is no known cure for it or for treating it. The only thing I want right now is for you to be there with your partner and go on an adventure like I used to do when I was little. You..." she coughed and spluttered, "...have given this mum all a person who can ever ask for. A loving son. A partner Pokémon to always be by your side. Life. You are the reason why I still exist to this day smiling, rather than being alone and depressed. You've given me everything I could ever have hoped to achieve."

The human me was beginning to become teary-eyed and was clutching Mum's hand, petrified.

"W-what should I do? Y-you don't mean..."

"Oh, my baby..." she leaned up slowly to kiss me but fell down again. "Ugh, this sickness isn't helping. Sweet pea, could you help me up?"

"A-anything for you!"

With this, human me helped my mother up and hoisted her to his shoulder, stumbling at first, but now managed.

"Help me up to my room please..."

She was become increasingly more weary, and her strength was leaving her rapidly. With all the strength he could muster, human me managed to get Mum upstairs and into her bed.

"Thank you. You know I've always admired your strength," she giggled but began to cough again, but this was becoming more violent.

"Mum!"

"Shhhhh. It'll be okay darling."

"S-stop saying that! Your health is becoming worse, and at t-this rate y-you'll... you'll..." Human me was now openly weeping, crying down tears and hugged my mother as hard as he could. "You'll die!"

"Oh honey..." my mother looked down and sighed.

"Y-you made me strong! When I first got Froakie from Professor Oak after he made a trip to Kalos, you were there for me and you didn't go away. You supported me, k-knowing what you were going through. You stayed by my side, and n-n-now..."

My mother stroked my hair as the human Mudd weeped into my mother's chest.

"Oh Mudd... You'll know I'll always be there for you, no matter what you say. I've told you before, at one point, I'll have to leave this world and go to heaven in the stars above. You're already here, and you're standing by my side. I'm always with you, both physically and in spirit. I'm never truly gone. You know that, don't you son?"

The human me could only nod on her as he tried to fight back streams of tears, nearly covering his face with them.

"Please, take care of yourself, Froakie, and your friends. That's all I'm gonna ask. You've grown so much, you've changed and it's why I'm so proud of you. You know you have that strength within you, don't you?"

"Y-yes..."

She smiled, and spoke distinctly with the last words I'd ever hear from her. "Good darling. I'll always love you."

"I-I'll... always love you too."

Human me hugged my mum still whilst crying as he lifted his head up to look at my mum. As she smiled, she gave a faint stroke on his cheek, and kissed him, but she began to cough and splutter violently again, and there and then, my mum fell unconscious... never to wake again.

"M-mum! Wake up! P-please!" At this point, human me was trying to do CPR and shake my mum frantically to see if she would wake, but there was nothing. No pulse, no heartbeat. Just only the sound of my tears and my increasing anxiety.

"N-no! Mum! MUM!" Human me yelled, and then screamed in agony as tears flooded my now mother's death bed. Froakie stood on his shoulder the entire time, not saying a word as he too was crying with tears with with happened.

As I then look back at the house, I shook my head and began to weep into my own paws as a Froakie myself. This was what started me going on a journey for redemption against the life that had been claimed and stripped away from me, and it was Mum... who... gave me my strength, with me forever going to use this for my own. This was a memory I kept sealed away, wanting to forget about as I battled my way across the regions, but I couldn't help but shake my head in disapproval and cry what seemed to be endless tears.

As I then looked, human me then burst through the door with his Froakie on his back, with his trainer attire on and running as fast as he could, not looking back. My brain then hurt, as it was this that caused a massive public outcry from the region who tried to look for me. They wanted to know if I was safe.

 **"Mudd! Tell me you're safe! Please!"**

This was a phrase I heard constantly which stuck with me when I fled and hid, but eventually I got found, and... it was then I remembered my mother's funeral. Mum was really popular in Kanto, and her death caused widespread grief and mourning when it was announced. I shook my head, remembering everyone going up to her coffin, and there was me.

"M-mum! Y-you're okay, right? Well, I'm doing good and me and Froakie are here, a-as you like to say. I miss you so much," I fought back tears as I said my goodbyes, "and I'm doing strong for you. I will win across the world, I will try and become champion, and I'll go on an adventure... please me there for me."

I cried as my past came back to haunt me, and it was there white light engulfed me bringing me back into reality.

There I stood shook, petrified as I looked to see Bulbasaur sleeping soundly. The world I was brought into was peaceful, but having a dream about my past about sorrow... and Mum... did it mean something? Why did I have it? What did it mean? As I shook my head, tears streaming down, I looked at my new partner sleeping away.

"B-B-Bulbasaur..." I uttered. "N-no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

"T-thank you..."

This made me jump, as although he was clearly dreaming, it gave me reassurance with him still caring about me. Wanting more comfort, I moved my hay bed next to him and snuggled up to him, falling asleep as I did so.

(To be continued in Part 4...)


	4. Chapter 4 - The Guild

**Mudd's Journey - Part 4**

* * *

Sunlight poured into the room, a blinding force blanketing the room with enveloped blindness. It was morning, and slowly, I began to wake up. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.

Here I was, lying here in a world beyond recognition. At least, I thought that's how I perceived it at least. I was confused - I was going through several different emotions at once, bombarded by barrels of train tracks that carried my thought train and fazing through several states of mind. I had Bulbasaur here with me, lying and mumbling in his sleep, and here I was going through what had happened in just one day.

"Uggghhh..." I began, lifting my head up after thinking about the past 24 hours, "talk about a rough night..."

I didn't forget what happened last night. The reminiscence of my mum passing away. A dream of destiny... but also one of demise along with it. I didn't understand. Why did I dream about my mother dying... and what did it signify? I shook my head, a common trope of mine, proceeding to get up and wake up Bulbasaur.

"Hey, get up, it's morning you know." I spoke to him as I turned towards him.

"Hmm? Unngghhh... Mudd?" Bulbasaur shook himself awake and rubbed his eyes with his bulbs. "Good morning buddy."

"Likewise," I replied, smiling at him, "morning bud."

"Wow... sure is bright in here, don't you think?" he said, looking around the sunlit-driven room.

"Yeah, I guess so." I chuckled, and made my way to the window. Before I knew it, I was greeted to the same setting I saw the previous night, and lo and behold, the sun was gleamingly shining through the dawn, orange gazing upon Cherish Town's horizon. I scratched my head, and proceeded to look behind me.

"You doing okay Mudd?" Bulbasaur asked me, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh... yeah, I think so."

"You think?" he questioned, and approached me endearingly. "Hey Mudd, you do know you can share anything that's troubling you. Even if I do cause you trouble."

He gave me a warm smile, and I stood there, taking this sight in. I was getting dejà vú all over again.

"W-what's wrong?" he shook, and turned to face me. As for me, I had an epiphany. It was another scene I thought I blocked out from my system, but there stood another friend, and I was human again.

 ****Flashback****

I stood still, and looked around me. I was a young boy again, and I had Froakie by my side. I looked in front of me, and there stood a human friend of mine.

"Mudd?" I turned to face the voice, and there was my friend Fliss, smiling at me endearingly brightly.

"Oh, um... hey Fliss." I said quietly, refusing to look at her. "W-what do you want?"

"I came to check on you to see if you're okay you know. You haven't talked to anyone ever since..."

"Yes, I get it..." I snapped, making Fliss jump, "my mother's dead. S-she left me... my only family, and n-now she's gone!"

Fliss approached me, and sat down next to me. We were both nearby to my house, under the Large Tree (a nickname I had given to where me, mum and Fliss hanged out a lot) and I didn't even want to look at her.

"Mudd... you do realise you're not going to be doing yourself any favours unless you talk about what's bothering you."

She looked at me, and then I slowly looked to turn towards her face. She was a brunette girl roughly my age, and wore a Pokémon trainer hat, and had a large handbag with her Pokémon inside. She wore a skirt and a leather jacket with red chequers covering the entire thing, and had an Eevee t-shirt beneath. The brown-eyed girl smiled at me, of course trying to cheer me up, but to no avail.

"Why should I listen?" I asked, "you know I ran away, and everyone came looking for me. What good is it going to do if you keep on prying the subject? I ran, people found me, and mum's funeral was held... people keep on asking me stuff like 'Oh Mudd, you're going to be okay!' and 'Oh Mudd, why should you worry?' or whatever. But that's not the point. I've been suffering inside, constantly, and this... this is what I have to cope with? My first gym badge win against Brock, and then straight out of nowhere... my m-mum... dies..." I began to sink my head into my arms.

Fliss sighed, and faced forwards. "You know, you've been one of the strongest people I've ever met Mudd."

"H-huh?"

"You heard me. You've always wanted to go on and try to conquer the world with Froakie there. I bet by the time this is all over he'll be a strong Greninja fighting against Steven Stone!"

"Heh, the Hoenn Champion?" I smirked, but shook my head, "I doubt it. I've lost my self-confidence. Mum..."

"Yes?" Fliss looked at me again.

"Mum..." A single tear shed down my cheek, "she was always there for me. She'll go on and on about how well I was doing at the Trainer's School, saying about how well I've been doing. I just can't see that. I started battling out of spite for her, and Froakie here..."

The silent Froakie looked at me as he lay looking up the entire time, and formed a small smile, attempting to reassure me like Fliss was.

"He tried his very hardest when I fought Brock. He learnt Bubble through some training we did prior to the battle, and suddenly he sent out his Onix. That was certainly um... hard."

Memories of how Froakie dodged Onix's slamming rock attacks and body even surprised me, but after I received my first badge, he chirped in delight. I guess he really was the agile fighter.

"Heh, yeah, Brock was hard when I fought him too, but still, you've gotta realise... No matter what happens, I'm always there for you, and you can always share anything that's troubling you."

"Thanks..." I said quietly, before...

 ****End Of Flashback****

"Mudd, hey, are you there?! Answer me!"

I got pulled back from my shifted state, and returned back to reality, where a grief-stricken Bulbasaur stared back at me, pleading to know if I was okay.

"Bulbasaur?" I looked at him.

"Oh thank Arceus, you're alright!" he cheered, "don't s-scare me like that, okay?"

"S-sorry bud." I sighed, and looked at my leg. Surely enough, I was still a Froakie. The significance of my existence in this alternate world baffled me, but whatever may have happened, my memories kept on flashing into my mind.

"Well anyway, you're here, and I think it's about time we met the other Guild members!" And surely enough again, Bulbasaur returned to his usual, upbeat (but rather clumsy) self.

"Wait a sec, I don't know-" I began, and before I knew it, I was dragged out of my room into the lobby of the guild.

* * *

"Heh, I know you're very excited and all that, and I know that need to make sure we can start requests as a team Mudd, but we need to go see the other members of the guild and make sure we get acquainted to one another and..."

"Bulbasaur, will you stop?!" I bellowed, and he yelped in surprise.

"H-hey? What gives?!" he exclaimed.

"Would you at least let me have a chance to speak? You sound like something out of a TV show."

"A what show?" he said, confused.

I sighed, and shook my head. "Never mind, I'm just saying can I at least have an understanding of what's going on? You don't need to speak so fast."

"O-okay, sorry..." he sighed, and frowned. He began to look like he was forming his synonymous sad face.

"Sorry..." I looked at him, "I didn't mean it like that..."

"It's okay," he said, and smiled faintly. "I don't blame you, I usually get ahead of myself sometimes. As I was saying, before I uh..." I gave him a stern look, "dragged you out of the room like that, I wanted you to meet the other members of the guild. Most members of the town already know who they are."

"Oh..." I said, and had a look down the corridor, seeing silhouettes around the corner. "They better hopefully not like be Team Crushers."

"What?! Didn't I already say that on our way here yesterday that the guild didn't have teams like that?!" he looked at me surprised, bewildered in disbelief at what I just said.

"Okay, okay..." I sighed, and accepted my defeat, "let's go and meet them then."

"Heh, finally you see things from my perspective. Right this way!"

Bulbasaur led me to the lobby, and there I was greeted by a whole bunch of other Pokémon. Master Magcargo was nowhere to be seen, neither was Ursaring.

"Well, who doodly do we have here?" I turned around to see a rather goofily talking Pokémon walking up to me.

"Uh... hello?" I turned my head to the side, and noticed it was a Timburr.

"Well, I'm Timby the Timburr, not the most exciting name y'all probably know, but it's how I roll about this fine guild." Timby smiled at me, and I shook his hand in confusion.

"New members, eh?" The ground thudded as I jumped to see another Pokémon stare at me back. "Fine seeing some young folks here, but y'know you better be on your best behaviour you know. I hate troublemakers!"

"H-hi..." I waved, whilst Bulbasaur sneered with his legs.

"The same goes for you too kid!" It was a Donphan, and boy, was this Pokémon loud. It reminded me a lot of Loudred back in the real world, one of Fliss' Pokémon, and how he'd shout every time he won a battle. Fliss' face was hilarious each time.

Bulbasaur jumped, and then slowly nodded his head.

"So you're our new team, what was it..." A female voice from behind me spoke, softly but vividly enough for me to hear.

"Team Hero Helpers, nice to meet you." Bulbasaur smiled, and I nervously nodded as I turned around.

"Oh yes, of course, sorry for not remembering," she giggled, "I'm Sylvie the Sylveon, one of Eevee's evolutions, and I tend to be the healing Pokémon around here, but I do pack a punch when I need to."

"Haha, lady, you usually don't know your inner strength half the time!" The Donphan roared in laughter.

"B-Brutus, how dare you!" Sylvie lashed out at him, but Brutus gleamed.

"Sorry Sylvie, you're just really easy to tease sometimes," he bashfully smiled.

"What's going on in here?" A Pokémon I had never seen before suddenly entered the room, and he looked like a starter just like me and Bulbasaur were.

"Oh hey Flare, nice to see you." Sylvie smiled, and Timby gave a thumbs up.

"Gawrsh, it's been a little while since I've seen you up and going you know." Timby smiled, but Flare's attention wasn't on him, but on us.

"You're Team Hero Helpers then? Well, I uh..." he awkwardly made his way over to us, "my name's Flare, and I'm a Scorbunny."

I shook my head. "A what?"

Flare gave me a sceptical look. "What's up with this guy?" He looked at Bulbasaur, who shrugged.

"It's just... I've never seen a kind of Pokémon like you before. It's just... wow..." I stood there agape with interest, but Flare stood there with growing confusion on his face.

"Well, okay... Anyway, who are you?"

"I'm Mudd. Nice to meet you, I'm a..." I stopped myself from saying what I really was. Was it really the right time to reveal that I was a human? No, it wasn't.

"...Froakie."

"Uh-huh... I know that, you know." he laughed, which I'm assuming he was getting a kick out of doing this. "Mudd was it? It's nice to meet you too."

I smiled, and he smiled back too. "Do you have a team yourself?"

His smile turned to a worrisome look. "N-not really, I've been here for quite a while for someone to take me in but no one would notice..."

Bulbasaur came up to him and smiled. "Hey, did you want to join us?"

"J-join you?"

"Yeah, we'd love to have all the help we could get." Bulbasaur smiled, and pushed me in nearer to the pair of them.

"W-well, haven't we just met?"

"Heh, to be honest, me and Mudd only met yesterday, so it's crazy as it already is." Bulbasaur chuckled.

Flare thought for a few moments, thinking hard, and then smiled with joy.

"Please!"

"Well Mudd, would you like him in?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, and Flare came and hugged me. "Whoa, easy there tiger."

"Huh, what's a tiger?" he said confused, but laughed, and I hugged him back. We now had three team members - Flare, me and Bulbasaur. Although now that I wondered...

"Hey Bulbasaur, can I ask something?"

"Sure Mudd, what is it?" he looked at me awaiting a response.

"Well, it was a nickname for you. I'm Mudd, he's Flare. Surely we can give you one too?"

"T-that's..."

"Yeah!" Flare smiled, "we should come up with one for you as well!"

"No need..." he smiled slightly, "it's one Mr Ursaring usually called me. Well, he did call me Squirt quite a lot before using my full name, but he also called me Bulbs since I'm a Bulbasaur and of course I usually use these." He showed us his bulbs, before smirking and tickling me.

"H-hey stop! T-that tickles!" I blurted out laughing and fell on my back before rolling around.

"Heh, Bulbs huh? Let's go with that. What'd you say, Mudd?" Flare turned to me.

"W-well, it's..." I tried to say through my laughing fit, "a g-g-great name! Stop already, haha!"

Bulbasaur grinned, and then turned to the pair of us. "Bulbs... You know what, that's now my new nickname. From now on, I'm Bulbs!"

"Bulbs it is." I grinned.

"Golly, and here I thought Sylvie laughed a lot." Timby stood agape, but tried to hide back laughter, leaving a less bemused Sylvie stare at him and Brutus.

Just as this happened, Ursaring, Guild Master Magcargo and other guild members walked through the entrance.

"Hohoho, if it isn't Team Hero Helpers. Oh!" The Guild Master gasped, "you took Flare upon as well? Good for you. The poor boy has been here looking for others, but never had any luck. I'm glad he now has a new team for himself!"

Ursaring came over to us, and smiled. "Bulbasaur, Flare, Mudd, great to see you. Hopefully Bulbasaur isn't causing trouble over here."

Bulbs looked up and retorted back at him. "Hey, I'm now Bulbs you know Mr Ursaring!"

Ursaring chuckled and smiled. "You always make me laugh 'Bulbs', despite your clumsiness."

"Hey!"

"Now now, that's enough." A large female Pokémon came over and greeted us. "I take it you're the new team then? My name's Primrose the Primarina, and I manage tactics. I may have the appearance of a singer, but I can assure you, I usually make more tactics in battle."

Another female Pokémon also accompanied her, and I had a strange feeling about them all of a sudden.

"Like Primrose said there, she covers tactics whilst I cover plans. My name is Gardevoir, and I'm a Psychic Pokémon." Gardevoir looked at me suddenly and then was suddenly surprised. "There's something special about you. You'll do great things, the same as that person once did for me."

I was suddenly confused. Did Gardevoir... suddenly know about who I was?

"Well, I'm... Mudd."

"Mudd huh? ...Very well, I shall look forward to working with you and your team then." she stood quietly for a second before walking away followed by a sternly looking Primrose.

"What was that about?" I looked at the others, and then towards Ursaring.

"Don't mind her Mudd, she's like that. Come on, it's time for breakfast, and then your first assignment."

"R-really?!" Me, Bulbs and Flare said in unison.

"Yes, and after all, I am the Guild cook! Come on!"

"Okay then Mr Ursaring!" Bulbs gleamed as we made our way there. I stopped to quickly catch a glimpse of an Aipom and a Mankey snickering towards one another, before they noticed me and walked away.

"What the?" I looked before the Guild Master ushered me to the dining room.

"Come on now sonny, don't mind them. Let's go eat."

"Sure." I nodded as the others went ahead of me. "But..."

"Hmm?"

"There's something I think I need to tell you about myself..."

(To be continued for in Part 5..)


	5. Chapter 5 - The House Of Cosmos

**A/N This is where language is now used to express the Teen rating of the story, so if you're underage when reading, proceed with caution.**

* * *

 **Mudd's Journey - Part Five**

* * *

In the world, there was a single point - a single point of creation. It was the beginning of a multitude of the cosmos, a binding of gathering the atoms, the elements, the states of matter... a barrage of cataclysms lay array of the beginning of civilisation. It was there the Pokémon Arceus lay creation to the keeper of time, the keeper of space and the keeper of the Underworld. It was there the world lay breath, began to develop and stretch the boundaries along the other world.

At the time since I was only but a child, my mother would use to talk about the creation of our universe, the several binding factors that brought us all together in this world, laying the world's foundations for the generations of the past and excelling for the future.

"One day Mudd, you never know, you might be the kid that goes up and excels above the stars. Even the Sun and the Moon have nothing on your endless potential," she would gleam, humming to a lullaby melody that would always be my comfort in life. It was the feeling I still yearn for even today - she was my everything I had when I still had Froakie tucked away on my bedside table.

"Are you sure Mum? I like looking at the stars, but they just always seem too far away to reach," I said on one particular night, gazing upon the night-lit sky in awe.

"Of course darling, why else would I be saying it? You have a conviction of succeeding. Froakie over there has been by your side for a while, knowing that you're going to succeed in your challenge against Brock."

"Really?"

"Of course, my sweet little cosmo chaser."

It was a comforting reply, but her coughing and spluttering at that time had only really begun to develop, before she passed away shortly after my victory. The stars and the cosmos, binding us together. It was a daze and a dream, a fantasy, one of the most jaw dropping experiences I saw in my younger years, before my prompting escape that led to the region-wide search.

It was like that too when after my mother passed away and I would be looking upon the galaxy above, being awe struck and mesmerised by its binding path of patterns. I looked above, knowing that my Mum might still be up there, somewhere.

"Froakie, I... it's been a while since Mum..." I sighed heavily, knowing that she probably wouldn't return. How could she? Ghost type Pokémon existed, but not spirits of the human kind. That was unparalleled to reality.

Froakie chirped sadly and hopped up onto my shoulder. Peace and tranquility so they would say. I didn't really know myself.

"If my Mum were here now, I hope she wouldn't think I was useless... a pile of crap maybe, I don't know..."

Froakie looked at me in surprise when I said that, but I shook my head. "I know what you're thinking Froakie about me cursing, but it's normal to say such things like that sometimes, even in the most dire of situations. If anything, I know we must continue for my mum's sake and keep fighting other trainers, being strong and succeed. We need to show Mum what we're capable of. But even so... I..."

I nearly broke down again but tried to stay confident. Froakie slapped my face and looked determined.

"H-huh? Oh, yeah... you're right. We need to stay strong. I still miss her though Froakie..." I gave a weak smile.

Froakie nodded and looked at looking at the stars, with me following after him. Something in the stars and the cosmos then Mum? I hope you're right.

* * *

"There was then, hmmm? Do tell Mudd," Guild Master Magcargo smiled at me with a hint of conviction, "but the others are waiting up ahead, no? Surely you can wait after our feast? You must be starving!"

Before I could utter a reply, my stomach began to growl. "Heh, yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hohoho, silly boy, you still need to eat," he reminded me, pointing to the dining room that was in front of me. There, Sylvie, Brutus, Bulbs, Flare and Timby were all sitting patiently waiting for me to arrive.

I guess the human reveal would have to wait, before I accepted the Guild Master's advice and made my way to the table.

 _Why would you want to reveal that yet anyway Mudd?_

"Huh?"

...

...

...

I thought I felt a presence, but I guess that was my imagination.

Approaching the table, I sat down with my teammates, Bulbs and the new recruit Flare, before I heard my stomach growling again.

"Sorry, I guess since I came here, I haven't really eaten anything. Who's the cook around here?"

Bulbs giggled, of course wanting to say who it was, but Flare decided to chime in instead.

"The cook's that Pokémon over there Mudd, take a look," pointing in the direction to reveal it wasn't Ursaring, but another Pokémon instead.

"Wait, didn't Ursaring say he was the cook here?" I asked.

"Gee Mudd, you really are the new recruit," Timby observed, before chiming in, "yeah, he is, but he's not the only one. That there is our female specialist, Rosie the Rosselia, who usually adds a nice flavour of berry arrays to mealtimes."

Rosie looked over to me and smiled. "Nice to meet you Mudd!" I smiled politely back, before the Guild Master took his seat.

"Looks like everyone's here!" Bulbs chimed happily, before Brutus took another jive at Sylvie.

"They would be if Sylvie would've alerted everyone as she usually does," he smirked.

"Honestly Brutus, you and your big mouth is what gets you into trouble you know!" she retorted back, turning from him dismissively.

"Come on lady, you know what I mean! Wahahaha!"

I sighed and shook my head. No matter where I am, it's the same arguments, same drama, same crap.

"Well then everyone, breakfast is served! Tuck in!" Ursaring proclaimed happily and we all got into our meal.

I thought about things while we ate. If I remembered correctly, it was Bulbs who wanted to go and visit his old home before he travelled with me here to Cherish Town. The forest in question I didn't know what happened, but it felt... off. It had an aura to it, something bringing me in. I don't know what it was, but I felt the term "Mystery Dungeon" come to my mind at the time. What was one of those places anyway?

Lost in thought, I wasn't aware that another Pokémon entered the room, being a Kecleon I'm assuming who was from town.

"Hello everyone, I wanted to say our wares have finally began to go up on sale again after those bandits came through here," he smiled before looking around the room seriously.

I felt a shove next to me before I looked up again and saw the Kecleon. Bandits?

"Team Crushers you mean?" I said the words without realising they came out, with the Kecleon looking at me.

"Yes it was them, but how did you know that? You're not a Pokémon I've seen from around here before."

Indeed, a Froakie wasn't any normal citizen in Cherish Town, so I'd understand why he'd be suspicious.

"Ho ho, relax my friend, he is part of a new rescue team just founded yesterday, called Team Hero Helpers. He's good, don't worry," the Guild Master said reassuringly, smiling at him to emphasise his point.

Kecleon nodded, before smiling, "If you're new, then come to our shop as we sell the latest goods around here. We've also got other such shops around here, so do think about taking a visit. I'm going to be off then now, hope to see you around!" After that, he went off without a word to return to his shop.

" _That might be really important for us for the future..._ " I thought, taking note before I departed from the table along with the others.

* * *

I surveyed the room around me, beginning to think about the repercussions of me creating a rescue team. Nobody other than Bulbs knew I was human, although most would probably never believe me. Why would they? I wondered why I was here, before I came across a map of the region, or continent? On the map, saw Cherish Town's location, and on it, other places too in other continents... The Tree of Life, Wigglytuff's Guild, the Expedition Society, all prominently featured, with a nearby set of green called "Travelspeak Forest", which I assumed was the so-called "Mystery Dungeon" I was in earlier. But why was this here?

"This is a map of the world Mudd," Bulbs looked at me as he looked at the map.

I was baffled. This was the Pokémon world? But how? I was more familiar with Kanto, Johto... Where were those regions?

"This can't be right, where's Kanto?"

"Kanto? Are you okay Mudd? There's no Kanto here, is that the name of a district?" Bulbs looked toward me.

"Then that must mean..."

This was a different world to the one I knew, but this one only with Pokémon, talking ones at that, but the other with humans in it. This was too perplexing.

"Huh?"

"It's nothing, never mind." Well shit, as a wise man would once say.

Flare came up from behind and approached us. "Wow, that is a really big world out there, huh?"

I simply nodded, trying to not let my confusion let slip. There was still those other Guild members who I saw earlier, who I needed to know better. One came across as way _too_ out there, so I wanted to get to the bottom of things.

This was then a perfect opportunity to ask my teammates a question that was still lingering on my mind.

"Why don't we go see this house then of yours Bulbs?" I looked towards him, but he looked a bit hesitant. After all, Flare had only literally just joined us after all, and he had no idea about Bulbs' past.

"A house? What sort of house? Ooh, maybe the one you see in fairy tales!"

Bulbs shook his head. "No Flare, my old house, it's a place I haven't visited for a little while now but I visit it from time to time to make sure it's okay."

Flare was confused, but nodded. "Okay, whatever you say."

I was more curious as to what would be in there. I guess there was only one way of finding out.

"Whenever you're ready Bulbs," I looked at him smiling to reassure him before all three of us made our way to his former house further on in Cherish Town.

(To be continued for now...)


End file.
